Sho(w)banal! - Mahanadhi Dr.Shobana Vignesh
Sho(w)banal !
Sri Ranga Ranganathan .. yes that is the song which gave the young girl who acted in that film the name Mahanadi Shobana. Now, is this a good thing for someone aspiring to be a Carnatic singer is a debate for another day.
Last week I heard her for the first time at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. It is just that, when you have so many options in Chennai especially during the season, I never gave Shobana a place in my list of choices. It’s not any prejudice or bias, it’s just that too many choices and too little time. I have heard her voice chanting the ‘Kanda Shashtri Kavacham ‘ in full volume at some roadside temple. Somehow, temples blasting music has never met my approval. Instead of creating an environment conducive to spiritual awakening, it used to only disturb my trail of thought. Also, having grown up listening to either Sulamangalam Sisters or my mother chanting Kandha Shashti Kavacham, no other person’s rendering caught my fancy. Same as in the case of Venkatesha Suprabhatam and Vishnu Sahasranamam, for me it’s only M S Subbulakshmi and no one else. Call me a creature of habit if you wish !
As I walked in, she was singing Mysore Vadudevacharya ‘s composition ‘ Maa Mavathu Sri Saraswati ‘ in Ragam Hindolam. It was a straightforward rendering . It was followed by a Thevaram in Ragam Attana, which was again good but nothing to leave you open mouthed in awe !
Shobana who has come from a musical inclined family and had formal training under P S Narayanswamy, Swamimalai Janakiraman and Professor T R Subramaniam which speaks for her confident delivery.
She had chosen all the songs which are largely familiar with the audience. No brainteasers, no need to look up Google, no whispering to the person next to you. Just simple and direct singing. In a way, this was pleasant because I could enjoy the song and not get overwhelmed by the singing or get baffled by some unknown Ragam & equally unheard of compositions.
She sang Maa Dayai in Ragam Vasantha, a composition by Papanasam Sivan. Her next rendering was from Jayadeva’s Ashtapathi ‘ Lalita Lavanga , Viharati Haririta ‘ . Today every concert seems to have compositions by Saint Thygaraja, Dikshitar/ Sama Shastri either or both),Swati Tirunal, Ashtapathi ( maybe / maybe not ) RTP and some Tamil song. Her next song was again a Papanasam Sivan ‘s ‘ Sadashiva Bhajaname ‘ in Ragam Todi . She concluded it with a Tamil song of Bharatiyaar ‘Dehimudam Radhe Radhe‘ in Ragam Khamaas.
In a world that is changing so rapidly, it’s sometimes good to have predictable and familiar experiences like the Kalathi Rosemilk !!
Last week I heard her for the first time at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. It is just that, when you have so many options in Chennai especially during the season, I never gave Shobana a place in my list of choices. It’s not any prejudice or bias, it’s just that too many choices and too little time. I have heard her voice chanting the ‘Kanda Shashtri Kavacham ‘ in full volume at some roadside temple. Somehow, temples blasting music has never met my approval. Instead of creating an environment conducive to spiritual awakening, it used to only disturb my trail of thought. Also, having grown up listening to either Sulamangalam Sisters or my mother chanting Kandha Shashti Kavacham, no other person’s rendering caught my fancy. Same as in the case of Venkatesha Suprabhatam and Vishnu Sahasranamam, for me it’s only M S Subbulakshmi and no one else. Call me a creature of habit if you wish !
As I walked in, she was singing Mysore Vadudevacharya ‘s composition ‘ Maa Mavathu Sri Saraswati ‘ in Ragam Hindolam. It was a straightforward rendering . It was followed by a Thevaram in Ragam Attana, which was again good but nothing to leave you open mouthed in awe !
Shobana who has come from a musical inclined family and had formal training under P S Narayanswamy, Swamimalai Janakiraman and Professor T R Subramaniam which speaks for her confident delivery.
She had chosen all the songs which are largely familiar with the audience. No brainteasers, no need to look up Google, no whispering to the person next to you. Just simple and direct singing. In a way, this was pleasant because I could enjoy the song and not get overwhelmed by the singing or get baffled by some unknown Ragam & equally unheard of compositions.
She sang Maa Dayai in Ragam Vasantha, a composition by Papanasam Sivan. Her next rendering was from Jayadeva’s Ashtapathi ‘ Lalita Lavanga , Viharati Haririta ‘ . Today every concert seems to have compositions by Saint Thygaraja, Dikshitar/ Sama Shastri either or both),Swati Tirunal, Ashtapathi ( maybe / maybe not ) RTP and some Tamil song. Her next song was again a Papanasam Sivan ‘s ‘ Sadashiva Bhajaname ‘ in Ragam Todi . She concluded it with a Tamil song of Bharatiyaar ‘Dehimudam Radhe Radhe‘ in Ragam Khamaas.
In a world that is changing so rapidly, it’s sometimes good to have predictable and familiar experiences like the Kalathi Rosemilk !!
About the Author:
Sandhya Shankar belongs to a well respected business family in Chennai. She is a Life Skills & Corporate Trainer by profession. She is an avid reader and a natural writer, who has written several poems and articles. She even presented her poems as a reading at the British council. She has keen interest in all art forms and has explored many different forms of painting like stained glass and Tanjore being among them.
Music being her first passion, she had her formal training under Terakotti Chandrasekharaiah at Bangalore and later briefly under Mrs Champa Kumar. She is a regular visitor of concerts, theatre and other live performances. Her witty reviews have gained a loyal and interactive readership for their sound technical commentary and relevance for every kind of melophile, from the casual-goer to the ragam expert, frequenting Chennai’s rich music scene.
(*The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of Music of Madras.)
(*The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of Music of Madras.)
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